Pandora Hearts
Oz Bezarius, heir to one of the duke houses, has just turned fifteen. His life is rich and carefree, darkened only by the constant absence of his father. At his coming-of-age ceremony, however, everything changes. For no reason that he can discern, he's cast into the prison known as the "Abyss", only to be saved by a "chain" known as Alice, the bloodstained black rabbit. It is unknown why was he cast into Abyss, how does Alice factor into it all, and what does the organization known as "Pandora" want with him.
Type: TV | Episodes: 25 | Aired: Apr 2, 2009 to Sep 24, 2009 | Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery
Producer: XEBEC, Square Enix| Main Cast: Junko Minagawa (Oz), Ayako Kawasumi (Alice), Kousuke Toriumi (Raven)
Director: Takao Kato | Original Creator: Jun Mochizuki | Series Composition: Mayori Sekijima | Music: Yuki Kajiura | Character Design: Chizuru Kobayashi and Shinichi Yamaoka
[ OVERALL IMPRESSIONS ]
Do you love the story of Alice in Wonderland and are interested to see its different adaptations? The Pandora Hearts is certainly something you shouldn't miss! Though it doesn't exactly devotedly follow the original material, it does have the references and some of its characters.
This might not be considered a classic like the original material, but I believe it's certainly one of the greatest dark and twisted fantasy tales ever told. The story has been intriguing and it surprises you with so many interesting twists. It's something pleasing to the gothic lovers, but it manages to delight even those who aren't because of the crack comedy in this episode~ I like it that the comedy doesn't feel out of place no matter how silly it is (so many of its silliness have been really funny!). It knows when to have fun; and, when to get serious. The intense moments here exhibit the terror and the drama in the story very well~
Other things to praise are its set of characters! Though I have to agree that the leading character had been too angsty sometimes (fine, not just him), but what they had gone through had certainly been painful enough that it makes it reasonable for them to feel that way (or maybe I'm just biased, haha!). Oh yeah, I did mention this is a twisted story, right? And the characters in it of course are just as twisted. They are broken individuals with unpredictable or complicated attitudes. They all have tendencies to be jolly, emotional, insane, and many more. Though they are similar in that sense, they still managed to be very different from each other. Even the look-alikes in this series don't exactly have the same personality! I am so please on how varied the characters in this series are~ They are also even in different age groups (even from different timelines and worlds!), and not to mention that none of them have been complete stereotypes!
The huge downside of this series I guess is . . .well . . some of its animation. It actually had a good style, and nice art, but the artwork on some scenes are just so wrong (distorted faces, unproportional body parts, etc.) that I can't help noticing! I was also not that impressed with how the fight scenes were presented. Well, I guess that's forgivable since it's not an action-based series. But the ones that disappointed me were anime original portions . . . so . . . I don't think the manga adaptation had anything to do with those dull fight scenes. Speaking of anime-original stuff, I wasn't that satisfied with the ending. Well, it wasn't really that bad and I don't exactly insist on the anime to follow the manga very devotedly. It's just that. . . I still think it could've done better.
Ah well, those are just little flaws~ Aside from the story and characters, the other stuff in this series had also been excellent! I like the voice cast, especially on the Cheshire Cat. Really fantastic job on it~ Also the music!!!! Well, the OP and ED themes are okay . . . just okay . . . BUT THE BACKGROUND MUSIC IS EPIC!!!! GO LISTEN!!! GO LISTEN!!!!!!!!
*ehem* Overall, Pandora Hearts is a great gothic version of the famous classic, Alice in Wonderland. The quality may be . . .err . . . old anime style (90's anime-like I think) and there are some art . . err . . defects . . . and the story may seem "duh" in the earlier episodes, but as you go on, things get better and better! You'll regret missing a great story! (Unless, well, it's not your kind of thing. And you're not fond of the type of fanservice in this series. Ehehe)
This might not be considered a classic like the original material, but I believe it's certainly one of the greatest dark and twisted fantasy tales ever told. The story has been intriguing and it surprises you with so many interesting twists. It's something pleasing to the gothic lovers, but it manages to delight even those who aren't because of the crack comedy in this episode~ I like it that the comedy doesn't feel out of place no matter how silly it is (so many of its silliness have been really funny!). It knows when to have fun; and, when to get serious. The intense moments here exhibit the terror and the drama in the story very well~
Other things to praise are its set of characters! Though I have to agree that the leading character had been too angsty sometimes (fine, not just him), but what they had gone through had certainly been painful enough that it makes it reasonable for them to feel that way (or maybe I'm just biased, haha!). Oh yeah, I did mention this is a twisted story, right? And the characters in it of course are just as twisted. They are broken individuals with unpredictable or complicated attitudes. They all have tendencies to be jolly, emotional, insane, and many more. Though they are similar in that sense, they still managed to be very different from each other. Even the look-alikes in this series don't exactly have the same personality! I am so please on how varied the characters in this series are~ They are also even in different age groups (even from different timelines and worlds!), and not to mention that none of them have been complete stereotypes!
The huge downside of this series I guess is . . .well . . some of its animation. It actually had a good style, and nice art, but the artwork on some scenes are just so wrong (distorted faces, unproportional body parts, etc.) that I can't help noticing! I was also not that impressed with how the fight scenes were presented. Well, I guess that's forgivable since it's not an action-based series. But the ones that disappointed me were anime original portions . . . so . . . I don't think the manga adaptation had anything to do with those dull fight scenes. Speaking of anime-original stuff, I wasn't that satisfied with the ending. Well, it wasn't really that bad and I don't exactly insist on the anime to follow the manga very devotedly. It's just that. . . I still think it could've done better.
Ah well, those are just little flaws~ Aside from the story and characters, the other stuff in this series had also been excellent! I like the voice cast, especially on the Cheshire Cat. Really fantastic job on it~ Also the music!!!! Well, the OP and ED themes are okay . . . just okay . . . BUT THE BACKGROUND MUSIC IS EPIC!!!! GO LISTEN!!! GO LISTEN!!!!!!!!
*ehem* Overall, Pandora Hearts is a great gothic version of the famous classic, Alice in Wonderland. The quality may be . . .err . . . old anime style (90's anime-like I think) and there are some art . . err . . defects . . . and the story may seem "duh" in the earlier episodes, but as you go on, things get better and better! You'll regret missing a great story! (Unless, well, it's not your kind of thing. And you're not fond of the type of fanservice in this series. Ehehe)
